Academic Year:
Oceanography
Telephone: (302) 645-4212 (SMSP main number)
(302) 645-4249 (SMSP Associate Director for Oceanography)
Website
Faculty Listing
Program Overview
Oceanography Program faculty and students conduct research on physical, geological, biological, and chemical problems in estuarine, coastal, and marine environments. Historically, the program's focus has been estuarine, coastal, and continental shelf studies in the Mid-Atlantic region. Our research studies have made the nearby Delaware, Chesapeake, and Delmarva Coastal Bays some of the most extensively studied estuaries in the world. In addition, faculty and students have had increasing interests in issues related to global environmental change in a number of other regions of the world.
Estuarine waters, salt marshes, and sediments provide ideal sites for work on the cycling of particulate material, trace metals, nutrients, and organic matter. An integrated picture of contrasting estuarine behavior is emerging from studies of circulation, chemistry, sedimentary geology, and planktonic biology in these contrasting environments. Faculty and students investigate topics at scales as large as paleohistorical circulation patterns, and as small as chemical cycles in algal mats. Multidisciplinary studies of the hydrology and ecology of intertidal groundwater seepage and the controls of harmful and noxious algal blooms are also explored. Together with the Center for Remote Sensing, faculty and students study the impact of land-use changes on wetlands and estuarine waters and the effects of oceanic circulation on climate. The Oceanography Program fosters an environment where a diverse faculty and student body work together to understand marine and environmental processes in the interest of solving environmental and societal problems.
Requirements For Admission
Please see the Admissions requirements for the School of Marine Science and Policy for specifics.
Requirements For The Degrees
All students in the master's program are required to complete a minimum of 30 graduate credits. A course outside of the Oceanography program and the student's area of concentration is also required. All students must write a thesis. Students may bypass the master's degree and work directly toward the PhD upon petition. Requirements for the PhD degree are similar to those for the master's degree, but are more intensive. In addition to the required coursework, written and oral qualifying examinations are required before students are admitted to candidacy for the PhD degree.
MS in Marine Studies with a concentration in Oceanography
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Course Number |
Course Title |
Credits |
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Required courses: |
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Any two of the following core courses: |
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MAST 602 |
Physical Oceanography or equivalent |
3 |
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MAST 627 |
Marine Biology or equivalent |
3 |
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MAST 637 |
Geological Oceanography or equivalent |
3 |
or
MAST 646 |
Chemical Oceanography or equivalent |
3 |
and |
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MAST 853 |
Oceanography Seminar or equivalent (must be taken at least one semester during each year of residence.) [1 cr each] |
3 |
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At least three (3) credits of 800-level courses other than courses used to meet seminar and core required courses must be completed. |
3 |
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One three (3) credit course in Marine Policy or one three (3) credit course outside of the student's declared sub-discipline of interest (not including courses taken to meet the program core course requirement) as approved by the advisor and the program director must be completed. |
3 |
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Additional courses required by the student's advisory committee* |
9 |
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MAST 869 |
Master's Thesis |
6 |
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Minimum credits needed for degree completion |
30 |
*Student will work with his/her advisors to determine what additional coursework must be completed and how many research credits must be taken to account for the remaining credit hours for a minimum total of 30 prior to graduation.
PhD in Oceanography
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Course Number |
Course Title |
Credits |
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Required courses: |
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MAST 602 |
Physical Oceanography or equivalent |
3 |
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MAST 646 |
Chemical Oceanography or equivalent |
3 |
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MAST 637 |
Geological Oceanography or equivalent |
3 |
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MAST 627 |
Marine Biology or equivalent |
3 |
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MAST 853 |
Oceanography Seminar or equivalent must be taken at least one semester during each year of residence [1 cr each] |
5 |
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At least six (6) credits of 800-level courses other than courses used to meet seminar and core required courses must be taken. |
6 |
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One three (3) credit course in Marine Policy or one three (3) credit course outside of the student's declared sub-discipline of interest (not including courses taken to meet the program core course requirement) as approved by the advisor and the program director must be completed. |
3 |
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Additional courses required by the student's advisory committee** |
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MAST 969 |
Doctoral Dissertation |
9 |
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**Students will work with their advisors to determine what additional coursework must be completed and how many research credits must be taken to complete the degree.
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students and others who use the Catalog should note that the policies, rules, regulations,
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